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In a new video interview, David Yates discusses the possibility of his return to direct Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. In an interview with Empire magazine at last night’s awards, David Yates says “I’m tempted” when asked if he will be returning to helm the final film in the Harry Potter series. Saying he can’t really say much about it, he does note they “talk about it” every day, but declined to elaborate further.

David Yates also states they have two more months of filming yet to go on Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, and is very enthusiastic about the filming, saying every day “is a joy” as they work on the sixth Harry Potter movie. He gives the book high praise (“smashing”) and says he can not wait to bring the film to audiences later this fall, they are all really excited. To watch this interview, click here, then scroll down to the bottom left corner to where it says “Best Director for Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix David Yates.”

I hated what he did in OOTP. What naked pictures does he have that they keep asking him back?

Give us a break already.

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From the beginning of filming OOTP, I loved David Yate’s vision for HP. I really hope he comes back- while I was rooting heavily for Alfonso’s return, It would be nice to have the same director for the last three (or four, depending on DH’s length) films. I feel that switching the directors really downplayed the success that HP could have been filmwise.Consistently jutting up the feeling and mood of the story seems more negative than positive, and getting a new director would not keep a consistency. EAch book is diffrent, yes, but the mood and feeling and lighting and all of that should stay similiar, i think. I hope the WB keeps Yates on until the end!

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I could see an argument for him, seeing as how the books 6 and 7 are connected, but I’d like to see someone else now. Someone new, that is the thing that kept HP film series fresh and it fits with the books changing the mood.

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This is great news! I so hope that Mr Yates goes on, to do Deathly Hallows. tht would be sweet! I have been watching each of the movies, again, and I agree with Lindsey. I also see OOTP as, by far, the best directed of them. changing directors, again, would be detrimental to the series. They had to change Dumbledore. Not a choice that would have been made had it not been for the circumstances. [RIP, Mr Harris] They have not, as yet, changed any of the main characters. This was a fortuitous circumstance, as they mesh so well, together. The changing, of directors, has had a direct [no pun intended] effect on each movie. Sometimes, for the good. Sometimes, for the bad. Mr Yates is, by far and away [IMHO], the best of them. At least since ‘Sorcerer’s Stone’...the first. The example by which all others are measured I look forward to the possibility of Mr Yates. And the opening of ‘Half Blood Prince’, in November!

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I’d be happy for Yates to direct DH. OOTP was given great care and respect by him. I’m really looking forward to the HBP.

But if they wanted to give it some one fresh I think I’d be ok with that too. So long as its anyone but Alfonso really. Crow man of Azkaban with his tacky fadding in and out drove me nuts in PoA :) I know some people loved what he did but PoA drove me nuts.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
No more David Yates!!!!! I’m not watching HBP coz of him.
He’ll take away Fred & George! I know it!
Pleeeeeeeeeeeeease Let NOT it be him!!!!!!!!!

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You want Rowling to write the screenplay for DH?! That is the dumbest idea ever. Rowling is a talented writer, but writing a movie is a totally different thing than writing a book.
I honoustly can’t complain about Kloves. He did for out of five movies and they are all very different from each other. If you ask me, much more depents on the director.

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i think 3(or 4) movies with the same director would be too much.they need to keep it fresh.please find someone new for DH!

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Oh, not again…
OOTP was terrible and I don’t wanna know what will happen to the other parts if the keep Yates.
Couldn’t we just put Chris Colombus back? :( He was the best…

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Wasn’t the whole point of changing directors every time to keep the franchise fresh?
David Yates was a big improvement from Mike Newel but still… I don’t know, I guess part of me is still wishing Alfonso CuarÃ³n would come back.

Still, keeping the director might give the whole thing more… consistency, like Peter Jackson with Lord of the Rings. I don’t know, we’ll have to see how HBP turns out before we start rioting ;)

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I think it looks like it will be Yates. Though I enjoyed OotP, and I’m really looking forward to HBP, I want to see a new director tackle DH. Have a fresh new look on the finale. Though they have to get some one who would do it justice.

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Of course it also depends on the script – I felt the guy that did OOTP was by far better than Kloves.

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The moment he says “I can’t really say right now”. It sceams “Im doing 7”. And the “I’m tempted” line? I think he’s about to sign for 7 and can’t say it yet.

But the reason I like him is because he is so mild mannered and he seems like a really nice guy.

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I don’t like Yates as director and I think that OotP is the worst of all HP movies, so I hope that WB’ll do a different choice for DH.

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David Yates totally underplayed allll the awesome emotion that made OotP the movie I was most hyped to see. I was rewatching it last night, and just look at Uncle Vernon’s non-outburst when the owl comes in! I was expecting a screaming match, not a stern glance!

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Actually, at this point, I am grudginly leaning toward yates to finish the films.

OotP was fine as a stand alone film, but had serious omissions that provided the necessary clues for HBP and DH: no locket, no mention of Regulus, “Harry looks like James but has Lily’s eyes” not mentioned to drive that clue home, insufficient discussion of the Prophecy (that it was made by Trelawney and heard by Dumbledore), no Dobby (again), and on and on….

BUT, now that the novels are all available, it may actually be best to stick with the same core team of Yates and Kloves, to ensure that …somehow!... all the key ingredients are worked in (repeat, somehow!) if not, then the films will ultimately be unsatisfying even for those who just know the movies not the books

so, a grudging yes to Yates, in the hope that he’ll listen to Evanna Lynch when the films veer too far from the plot lines….

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i think it’s amusing that in the ‘online’ world, everyone seems to know everything about whatever they’re discussing. opinions run rampant, and no one seems willing to listen to anyone else… and what’s more, everyone’s out to bash others’ opinions! man, come on!

i really appreciate everyone here who’s supporting yates, rather than doing the typical kid-with-the-internet-crap of tearing people apart, limb from limb because of the ease by which one can do so behind a computer screen…

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NOOOO!!!! I think that he made a horrible job on OotP: as a film it was horrible, while it was ok for the fans who had read the books. Its not supposed to be that way at all!
I’m already pretty mad that they chose him to direct HBP, my fav Harry Potter book…..but DH! NO!!!!! Let’s hope they get someone else….

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I think a lot of people who don’t want Yates back are confusing the job of a director with the one of a scriptwriter. When scenes and dialogues change or dissapear (thus making the film less faithfull to the book) it is the fault of the scriptwriter people!

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Which means that most people who thought that the fifth film was a disaster should blame Michael Goldberg and not Yates. (Just off the record, I thought the fifth one was terrible.)

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I thought Yates did a good job on OotP and I’m looking forward to HBP – although, if they cut out Remus & Tonks’ relationship I will be extremely pissed.

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“He’s tempted???” So that means he has second thoughts…He’s a wonderful director and OOTP film is beautiful but so not like the book. And I think thats Goldbergs fault. I think HBP it’s going to be much better because we have mix Yates/Kloves.

,,,,,,,,,,,,and to all complainers about Kloves…....he’s brilliant and if you don’t like him then how did you become HP film fan in the first place???!!!!

....but I’m still for Alfonso!!! POA was little childish but thats because Alfonso was working with kids. Dan,Emma and Rupe were very little then. But now they are real actors and with Alfonso DH would be the best film of a century.

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My biggest problem with OotP was the editing. I think the film could have been at least 15 minutes longer, and it would have made more sense. I also think it lacked the emotion I was expecting, but I also know I had been following the filming process since GoF was released, so it would have been impossible to meet my expectations.

If you read between the lines, I do think Yates will direct DH. If they are talking to him every day about it, I can’t imagine they would do that with someone they weren’t interested in. To me, it sounds like it’s Yates job for the taking if he wants it.

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I liked OOTP very much and it will be fine with me if Yates directs DH.

But I absolutely loved POA. I know a lot of HP fans don’t like what Cuaron did, but I thought he made a really good film. I would love to see him do DH.

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Hey Lindsay, I totally agree with you. I was also rooting for Alfonso but Yates is a really good director, and OotP was one of the best of the lot. And I think the cast is very happy working with him, and he himself is really enthusiastic, I think it’s pretty much certain he’s on.
But I just hope he keeps the book intact, even if it means splitting the movie in two. The thing i hated about OotP was the enormous amount they left on the floor of the editing room, I really want DH as a whole, all the scenes, that’s all I want.

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I for one would be thrilled to see Yates direct. This might not be all due to him, but Yates did something Cuaron and Newell couldn’t do…he kept the characters canon!

Cuaron MURDERED Ron’s character by allowing Kloves to give Hermione all of Ron’s heroic lines. He made Ron a clown and made Hermione the Pink Power Ranger Granger. She became Hermione Sue and less real than the actual character. Yates changed that. You’ve heard many people, including our Pottercasters applaud Yates for bringing Canon! Ron back. That also has to do with Goldenberg, but Yates helped the actors to find a more real and in character voice.

I would sacrifice many plot points as long as the characters were how JKR intended them to be and not how Kloves sees them.

And Newell almost ruined Harry! “Do you want me to open it?”. What the hell was that? Harry turned into this whiny, self involved arrogant prat under Newell. And GoF was the worst movie to date. Jumping around and acting more like a teen movie than a magical fantasy.

In OotP Yates ensured that Ron was: Comical, but brave. Insensitive but loyal. And it also finally showed Ron and Hermione’s relationship the way it’s written in the books. Equal.

Yates ensured that Hermione was: Vulnerable but courageous. Intelligent but lacking in common sense about human nature, and brilliant but subdued and humble.

And finally Yates ensured that Harry was: A reluctant Hero that wanted nothing more than to live his life to the fullest with the ones he loves…at any cost.

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Jeeze, WB!

MAKE A FRIGGIN DECISION ALREADY!

Also, give us a POSTER and a TEASER right…. NOW!

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EruditeWitch:
Nicely put!

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woohoo!!!! Yates won! well deserved indeed.

OOTP wasnt easy to adapt to film, most meaty, complicated books are (just ask Peter Jackson with LOTR), but Yates did a pretty good job nonetheless.

i’m hoping Yates will push through with DH

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YOU people, blame complain blame complain thats all you do! OOTP was the LONGEST book and the hardest to adapt to screen you could tell by just reading it – the movie was great and David did a great job. This isnt all one persons fault and if you think it is you have a pretty low- mind. The only two that are exactly like the book basically are the first two and to be honest they do get a little long when watching them. It is kind of fun seeing how they improvise and turn each book into a movie and like many have said if you want the exact thing read the books. I feel like Im going in circles cause I have mentioned this before but there is no book adaptation that is perfect. FYI I loved OOTP!

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I would welcome Yates back – but I can’t help but wish for Cuaron!

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NO MORE YATES. HE DISTROYED ORDER OF THE PHEONIX. IT WAS RUSHED.
I WANT ALFONSO TO RETURN BUT THEN AGAIN I DONT LIKE THAT THEY KEEP SWITCHING DIRECTORS

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Cuaron would be the last person I would want to direct the most important book of the series. He has no grasp of characterization.

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i think itâ€™s amusing that in the â€˜onlineâ€™ world, everyone seems to know everything about whatever theyâ€™re discussing. opinions run rampant, and no one seems willing to listen to anyone elseâ€¦ and whatâ€™s more, everyoneâ€™s out to bash othersâ€™ opinions! man, come on!

i really appreciate everyone here whoâ€™s supporting yates, rather than doing the typical kid-with-the-internet-crap of tearing people apart, limb from limb because of the ease by which one can do so behind a computer screenâ€¦

Posted by Seth on March 10, 2008 @ 09:35 AM

Seth, you rock!

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Cuaron would be the last person I would want to direct the most important book of the series. He has no grasp of characterization.

Posted by EruditeWitch on March 10, 2008 @ 11:46 AM

Um, have you seen all of Cuaron’s work? I mean, that is a pretty broad generalization (no grasp of characterization).

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NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO David Yates hacked up Order of the pheonix ta LITTLE TEENY BITS!!! i think that ANYONE but him would be better! he cut out all the good scenes, and he made Tonks almost not be in the movie!!

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I think Alfonso and Yates are wonderful directors (Yates is a little bit better and more mature). I am very looking forward to watching Half-Blood Prince, because it’s my favoriate book.

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Hem-hem!

The film-making process is a completely collaborative one. If you did not like a film, it is highly unlikely that any ONE person (director, writer, actor or producer) is responsible for that. Things get changed in a book/film translation, especially when dealing with a massively detailed and intricate world as we have with HP.

I think every single one of the films have merit and some very good moments. Each one has a slightly different flavour, even in the case of the first 2 which were both directed by Chris Columbus. This is true to the books, imo, as they, too, have a different feel and focus. That is the genius of Jo Rowling.

I enjoyed OotP and have no problem with Yates returning for DH. Everything I have heard and read about what went on while filming OotP and now HBP is that he is a tireless worker with a true vision of the HP world. The actors love working with him, and that says a lot towards making a successful film.

Speaking of successful films, every single HP film is amongst the top 20 highest-grossing films of all time. Gee, someone must be doing something right!

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“Um, have you seen all of Cuaronâ€™s work? I mean, that is a pretty broad generalization (no grasp of characterization).”

Sorry. I ammend my statement.

Alfonso has no grasp of the characterization in Harry Potter.

better?

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I so hope that David Yates takes HP to the finish line! I was really hoping that because I read his name on IMdb as director, that he was a sure thing! But, going back and checking, it merely said “rumoured” ... how could I has missed THAT! Please do it David, you will make so many of us so very happy!

Now, of all the complaints that IYO, Yates let too much be cut out of OOTP. Granted the movie was a bit thinner than the book but it HAD TO BE in order to get a “MOVIE” on the screen. I think that his choices were very good ones! I enjoyed the movie immensely.
There are things that I would have wanted to see but it wasn’t (nor could it have been) a six-hour film!
On a side note: There were some really delicious moments like when Lucius was responsible for breaking the Prophecy … My gleeful thought was “Boy is Voldemort going to be p**sed at Lucius!”

Thank Goodness, he only edited out things that did not contribute to the main story line … instead of adding dreck that was not only not in the book but in no way contributed to the advancement of the storyline … I speak of that hack Cuaron and what he did to the POA book. He sacrificed a lot for His self indulgent additions. Granted it was an okay movie, only if you had never read the book.

But, hopefully Cuaron is FAR enough downstream that he is not under any consideration at all!

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I really enjoyed david Yates’ OOtP, and felt he was true to the spirit of the characters (unlike Curan and Newman) and the story. So I’ll be delighted if he comes back!

But agree with the comments above about Steve Kloves – whom I think is appalling. One of the reasons I loved OOtP, and one of the reasons it has done so well (I believe) is that Kloves did not do the OOtP screenplay. Can’t we find a vanishing cupboard somewhere to lock him in?

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Let’s not forget, Cuaron left out the BLOODY MARAUDERS!

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Oh, GOD no!

He’ll take away so many important scenes and characters!

ARHGG! DECLINE, DECLINE, DECLINE, YATES!!

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Will you all stop complaining? First of all, it wasn’t necessarily Yates’s fault that OOTP was “ruined.” There’s more than one person involved with a movie, you know. For example, Michael Goldberg, who did the screenplay. He was new to the Potter films, and had a lot to do with the structure of the film, having done the writing.

I intend to see HBP before I decide whether or not I’ll be happy with Yates directing Deathly Hallows.

@saoumitaa You call yourself a Harry Potter fan? You can’t just decide that HBP isn’t going to be very good, and not see it.

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Cuaron may be the best director; POA has lovely directing, camera angles etc. What I missed, aside of butchering Ron and heroing Hermione , was the absence of Marauders, story of Harry’s patronus… Yates had the bad luck of working on the longest book. Still, he’s much better than Newell (talk about a rushed film); everyone acts hyper and messed up storylines. My only comment is he could elaborate on the prophecy, have the Harry/Dumbledore scene instead of the sappy ending and Lilly in the Snape memory (can be added in DH, though). Clearly, horcruxes can be mentioned in movie 6, and Regulus’ story and the locket too, can wait.

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I’d be alright with Yates, and I think it’s pretty obvious that he’s going to be the director. I would have been much happier with Alfonso or Guillermo Del Toro, though. But such is life, right?

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I didn’t mind his direction, I hated the editing and the screenwriting though.
My problem with these films always comes back to the screenwriting, just cos we can’t have Jo do we really need such incompetents?!
Get the script right and the direction is a breeze, the story screams what needs to be seen but until they get the scripts right the directors will forever end up producing too little of what it needs and too much of what it doesn’t.
I don’t mind if Yates comes back, I just want Kloves and Goldenberg (or whatever his name was) to beggar off!!

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Whatever, I like Yates. He’s the only one who can get a worthy performance out of Dan Rad.

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I LOVE THE HARRY POTTER FILMS I CAN NOT WAIT TO WATCH THE NEXT ONE

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Scriptwriters do write the scripts, but I believe further decisions about deletions, additions, etc. are made by the director. Of course, JK get the script approval, so why isn’t anyone asking why she ok’s them? She did say they had done away with Kreacher in movie 5, but she told them unless they put him back in, they would “tie themselves in knots” when it came to movie 7. Remember (Kreacher’s tale”) I’m no happier about the omissions than anyone else, but they cut out the “non-essential” stuff. Unfortunately, that means some of the fun, interesting stuff is out (bummer). I almost don’t care who directs DH if they make it longer. (I’m just glad I’m not writing the script…I’d be bald before I finished it!

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I thought it was really a done deal? Why is he acting like he isn’t already in negotiations? I’m sure it’s contract issues. I find this sad because he gives me false hope that a much more talented director with proper vision might be able to helm the last in the series, but alas, I feel Yates will complete the thematically mediocre mess he started with OotP. This is just my opinion, of course, and I know what that’s worth.

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“In OotP Yates ensured that Ron was: Comical, but brave. Insensitive but loyal. And it also finally showed Ron and Hermioneâ€™s relationship the way itâ€™s written in the books. Equal.

Yates ensured that Hermione was: Vulnerable but courageous. Intelligent but lacking in common sense about human nature, and brilliant but subdued and humble.

And finally Yates ensured that Harry was: A reluctant Hero that wanted nothing more than to live his life to the fullest with the ones he lovesâ€¦at any cost.”—Erudite Witch

Good post Erudite Witch. That was one thing I enjoyed about the film. Even Ron was Ron, which we hadn’t seen since the first film. Just to make it clear, I did like OotP, and the direction, but the editing and lack of emotion bugged me. I hope that HBP corrects some of the issues I have, and I sincerely hope they don’t try to cram the film into 2 hours and 15 minutes.

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Oh, EruditeWitch! My thoughts exactly (only more… eruditely!). GoF was dreadful – that cringeworthy “Do you want me to open it?”! SO not Harry. And that awful pushing and shoving each other scramble to the goblet at the centre of the maze – SO not the humble, gentlemanly, helping/saving each other of the book.

And don’t even get me started on Cuaron’s versions of the characters (Ron standing up for Snape by insulting Hermione as a know-it-all – AS IF!!)

Yes, Yates could have included more (true of all the movies, all the directors), but what we saw was canon Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, Ron Weasely and the Order of the Phoenix, not some laugh-a-minute sitcom for attentionally challenged muggles.

OMG!!!! NOOOOOOOOO!!!! I absolutly HATED his version of ootp!!!! And I am a little worried about H-BP!!!! I REALLY REALLY think Alfanso should come back for #7!!!! I love him. #3 is my fave movie. Yates totally jacked ootp!!! I don’t want him for DH!!!!! I will die!!!

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I didn’t really care for the OotP movie. It’s the first one that made no sense if you haven’t read the book. It’s also the first one NOT written by Steve Kloves. He is back for the rest of the movies. Also look at the length of the books. OotP is the longest at 870 pages. It should have been 4 hours long as a movie. SS, for comparison, is 307 pages, CS is 341 pages. Both of these became movies of about two and a half hours. PoA is 435 pages but the movie is still around two and a half hours. GoF is 734 pages, HBP is 652 pages, DH is 759 pages. (US Editions). GoF and DH books are nearly the same length, HBP is the shortest of the last 4 books and therefor it should be easier than GoF to stick to the book. With DH close to the size of GoF, one might think the movies would be about the same length, But, there is a lot more that happens in DH. In eight months we shall know how HBP translates into a movie. Release is pencilled in for November 21, 2008!

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I’m not sure if this has been posted yet, but on the row of videos above the one with David Yates there is a video with Alfonso Cuaron, Guillermo del Toro and David Heyman. They talk about Potter for a bit & Guillermo mentions jokingly that he’d like to do the prequel..or as he calls it the ‘fetal years’ LOL. There’s also a nice quote from David on why Guillermo wont do the last one…check it out!

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Wow! He won! Has any of the HP director/films won the award before?

I love that he seems so excited about HBP.

HBP will be exciting for me to watch because this will be the first time I have read the book Before watching the movie.

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wtg david yates I liked some of what he id in OOTP but i was dispointed at what he left out that i felt should have been kept in ( The Quiditch for example I wanted to see Ron Play) and i agree one director for all 7 ( or 8 dependingon what happens with DH) would have been nice but unlikely as that would be a huge commitment forcing them to give up shots on directing other films based on material they may have always dreamed of directing a movie based on. Look at the Star Trek seriesof movies many people direct them in icluding Shatner and Nimoy. I just hope the choose a directer quickly for DH so at least that little bit of suspense will end and we can brace our selves for HPB to come to theatres and for DH movie(s) yet to come

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ootp was the best Harry Potter movie we ever had, it was true to the book and the characters, Yates managed to convey the Trio as it really, Harry as the hero and Ron and Hermione as the sidekicks, it was the first movie in wich Hermione was the Heroine.

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I agree with whoever said internet posters are really people bashers- that is probably the only true statement I have ever read on the internet before. It is quite pathetic how no one will take others advice, so sad the world is declining into a narrow-minded place. Its the same on IMDb. The only thing is you would think after reading HP you guys would have a little more imagination and consideration for others- obviously you dont get the morals behind the story.

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I’ve given up reading or listening to my Harry Potter books until Easter. I am not watching the DVDs either, but I couldn’t give up Leaky. Your comments are all a great read. Thanks for keeping up your ideas, – some are a bit odd,

I don't have enough knowledge about film making to say who should direct. I enjoyed the first two films most, but OotP was pleasing when I stopped worrying about how it compared to the book.

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While I considered elements of the direction to be the greatest weaknesses in OotP, I’m still optimistic for HBP. David Yates is growing as a feature film director. More importantly, his statements reflect his desire not only to produce a good film, but one that is as true to canon as circumstances allow. Besides, he has Evanna around to nag him!

My biggest worry about HBP (and DH) is actually that Steve Kloves will once again give us Super!Hermione, attributing to her every positive virtue imaginable (and having her perform other characters’ admirable deeds). One of the best things about OotP was the far better portrayal of Miss Granger.

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“I agree with whoever said internet posters are really people bashers- that is probably the only true statement I have ever read on the internet before. It is quite pathetic how no one will take others advice, so sad the world is declining into a narrow-minded place. Its the same on IMDb. The only thing is you would think after reading HP you guys would have a little more imagination and consideration for others- obviously you dont get the morals behind the story.

Posted by BellaSnape on March 10, 2008 @ 02:08 PM “

So true, BellaSnape, so true. IMDb is appalling, and the quotes on here are sometimes close to sinking to Mugglenet level.

Maybe all the would-be critics on here attend film school and I just can’t tell. Have any of you ever seen any of Steve Kloves’ other work? David Yates? Cuaron?

I’m no expert, but the films seem to match the spirit of the books quite well – regardless of director. I’m a fan of Cuaron because he has such imagination and vision in everything he does. Yates is a close second – he has been very successful in drawing out the YOUNG actors’ abilities in the Potter movies. I will always respect Kloves (though it is arguable that Goldenberg (sp?) was a better choice for OOTP) because he wrote the script of one of my favourite movies, The Wonder Boys. If you haven’t seen it, why not try it? It might be a nice change from Constant Potter.

No one is above criticism, but it would be nice if it was not always so negative here and there was a bit more of a dialogue. Opinions are great – especially when they’re informed.

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Donâ€™t forget that JK approves the scripts and made sure they put Kreacher in OOTP. The omission of the locket and the mention of Regulas may have been addressed by JK and Yates as something they want to keep out of OOTP. They may have decided to make a big suspence point/cliff hanger for the â€œmovie onlyâ€ Harry fans for movies 6 and 7. The locket and Regulas are known for us book fans so by omitting it in 5 and adding all the info to 6 wonâ€™t surprise us after all we know how it will all end. The movie only fans may not have caught the importance of the locket or Regulas if they put them in OOTP. If JK made a point of telling them to include Kreacher I feel certain they have worked out the locket and Regulas in a way that JK approves.

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Seeing how Cuaron (with Kloves) totally butchered POA, especially the characterizations I don’t wish to see him return.

Yates would be a good choice.

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Did anyone else notice the video clip of an interview with David Heyman, Guillermo Del Toro, and Alfonso Cuarron together that was on the same page as the Yates interview? I just thought that was sort of interesting/strange given Del Toro’s desire to direct DH. Although the part where he says something to David Heyman about “I want to kill your children” while discussing HP was a little odd.

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I would modestly like to say thank you bebe, and I have seen Caurons other work- I own a movie of his called ” The Little Princess”. Very good movie one of my favorites. I have not however seen any other of Steves of Davids works.

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Please don’t I want The best dirctor to do it which is Chris Columbus. he started the harry potter serie and he should end it too.

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I think they should bring back Columbus…he kept true to the books

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As much as I appreciate David Yate’s work on the Order of the Phoenix – he is second only to Alfonso Cuaron as my favorite director – I think that he should permit another director to conduct the final film. His mellow style was suited for the fifth and sixth films, but would not work that well with the seventh.

I would love to see Alfonso Cuaron come back. His Children of Men showed that he could perfect an adaptation of the seventh novel. He would capture its feeling of total war and distopia perfectly.

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Oh god no. What he did to OotP was horrendous. It was like watching PoA all over again. No one was in character (except Dan, Evanna, and Helena Bonham Carter) and the story was completely messed up. I don’t want any of the previous directors working on DH. I want someone completely new who won’t ruin it.

says:

Oh god no. What he did to OotP was horrendous. It was like watching PoA all over again. No one was in character (except Dan, Evanna, and Helena Bonham Carter) and the story was completely messed up. I don’t want any of the previous directors working on DH. I want someone completely new who won’t ruin it.

Yates may not write the scripts, but he has to approve them. A director approves every aspect of a film, from the scripts to the actors to the camera angles and special effects. Any story changes made are done with the complete approval of the director. If Yates directs DH, we’re going to get yet another short film for yet another long book.

says:

Gah! I’m sorry, I posted twice!

says:

“I think they should bring back Columbusâ€¦he kept true to the books
Posted by petunia on March 10, 2008 @ 04:01 PM”

Well, books 1 and 2 were so short that it was hard not to keep true to them. The longer the books got, the less satisfied purists were with the movie adaptations. And Colombus made the films kiddy and no more than eye candy. Cuaron gave them an artistic touch, Newell darkened it, and Yates finally hit the nail right on the head (of course, with the help of Michael Goldenberg, who captured the spirit of the books 100%). I’m glad Yates stayed on for HBP, especially since it’s because he enjoyed working on it. A filmmaker should be passionate about the films he makes, not necessarily a Peter Jackson with LotR kind of passion, but at least some attachment to the project, which is why I really like Yates and what he’s doing. If they replace him for DH, I hope the director is miles ahead, because Yates is as close to perfect as I’d like.

says:

Yates, get your filthy hands off my precious Hp7!!!

Please, Cuaron, come back! Save Deathly Hallows movie, please!!!

says:

NO NO NO NO NO!
NO NO NO NO NO!
NO NO NO NO NO!
NO NO NO NO NO!
NO NO NO NO NO!

says:

“I think they should bring back Columbusâ€¦he kept true to the books”

It’s easy to stay true to the book when the book in question is so short.

Later books are much longer than the first two, so some cutting is necessary.

What really matters is staying true to the characters. Cuaron failed miserably at that, but Yates was great.

says:

“Please donâ€™t I want The best dirctor to do it which is Chris Columbus. he started the harry potter serie and he should end it too.

Posted by MaX on March 10, 2008 @ 03:52 PM”

I think Richard Harris should come back he was the best he started it so he should finish it. (bad joke) .

Just a question Did you like the Star Wars movies? I know I did but many people would say they hated it. George Lucas Directed the very first movie and then the last three.

Just because a person starts something does not mean they have to finish it. I mean I watched the first “Lord of the rings” movie and disliked it. I only watched the second because I was walking by the cinema and got a free ticket still disliked it for some reason. I never watched the third. (see I don’t have to finish what I start. Okay this example does not work)

The ‘Should finish it’ philosophy should only apply to those who have worked through the entire movies. So the actors ‘of course’ should remain.

Imagine if they changed the trio. gasp

says:

I think that Cuaron gets a lot of criticism for his representation of the trio in POA. But what people should bear in mind is that the actors were younger then. Okay they are limited to what they are reading off a script but I think Dan, for one, is a much better actor in OotP then he was in the previous movies. And perhaps we do have Yates to thank for that but also I think age and experience are factors which are involved. I like Yates, yes, a lot was edited out of OotP but guys it was still a long movie.

says:

I thought the entire middle of OOTP was S L O W, and found myself looking at my watch about an hour and 40 minutes in, thinking “how the heck is he going to pack the rest of the book into 40 more minutes?”. I don’t consider it a sign of directorial success when I find myself looking at my watch during a movie.

Frankly, most of the book in HBP is pretty much low key, mostly just setting up book 7. People were put off by the “sex, drugs and Rock n Roll” comment, but he better do something to make the movie pop on film if they want to sell tickets beyond the diehard fan base. Dark as it is, there’s a lot of comedy in HBP – I question whether Yates can tap that effectively. (Can’t you just wait to see Ginny excoriating Ron for never having had a good snog, Ron and Lavender rolling around in a lip lock “like a pair of eels”, Hermione’s birds attacking Ron, Harry running around frantically looking for a place to hide his potions book?)

Cuaron gets a lot of grief, particularly for the “he was their friend” line, but POA was by far the best paced movie – I never once looked at my watch. Also I find I can’t “watch” it when I am multitasking (that is, I can’t jut listen to it in the background while I’m doing other things around the house) – that’s a mark of a visually compelling movie – otherwise its just glorified radio.

Yates is credited for “coaxing better performances” from the cast. That may be true, but I didn’t think OOTP did justice to the emotional rollercoaster Harry is on, and I don’t think it made good use of Rupert Grint, who has an absolutely wonderful sense of comic timing. Columbus actually did the best job tapping both of those topics (as much as they could be at the character’s ages).

The producers will see Yate’s HBP soon if they are only a few mos away from the end of filming. Let’s hope they don’t let us down and re-hire Yates if he makes another slow paced emotionally shallow movie.

says:

I thought Mr. Yates stuck with the book quite well considering how much he had to cut down. OOTP is my favorite movie so far, and I have high hopes for HBP because I liked that book even better than OOTP (Though of course, they are all excellent) I would love for him to direct Deathly Hallows. It would be a sigh of relief from me.

says:

I would rather have Curon back!

says:

OMG thats the worst move possible he did a horrible job with the ootp i hope they take sum 1 new

says:

NO! Yates is a good director but still i didn’t like what he did with OOTP, i thought it was a real let down. Why not get Mike Newell or Alfonso Cuaron back, Newell made it really funny and Cuaron made it dark but not too dark which is what Yates did so much it got kind of boring.

says:

I’m not exactly happy about this since OotP all of the actors seemed off. the style while different just didn’t seem to fit. there were a lot of small parts that while insignificant were changed or different from the previous films. while i like change and a new interpretation some of those small tidbits really threw the movie off for me as well. i’m not bashing yates but i felt the film could have been better considering what it was.

says:

Great episode, just one thing I’ve been meaning to say, Bring Back the Bloopers!

says:

YEEEEEESSSSS!!!!!!!!!! People who dont like him always do the big no with the letters in all caps so i did the same!! hehe o yea i really like David Yates

says:

Sorry, I was on the wrong post!

says:

Dear Mr. Yates,

Please give in to your temptation.

Sincerely and with love,

Leggers

says:

I reserve judgment.
Once i see how he does with HBP, then i will make my decision. DH ties together all of the plot lines of HBP, so i will wait to see how he does this one, then i will give my verdict.

Until then…..

says:

If the movie only intended to appeal to the HP book fanbase, they wouldn’t bother. making it – they’d not make enough money. In its run OOTP grossed $292,004,738. The book, although topping bestseller lists everwhere, made only a fraction of that. You have to face it, they’re looking to please a lot more than their book-base with the movies. Book fans might well tolerate an excessively long movie, or one that perhaps was a bit slow, if that was what it took to stay faithful to the exact book on-screen. Movie goers won’t be so forgiving with their dollars.

WRT the screenplay – you have to remember that a book and a movie are completely different things. A book can tell you how a character is feeling, but a movie has to show you. For example, in GoF when Harry first sees the Avada Kedavra curse (when Mad eye demonstrates it in class) the book tells you he suddenly realized how his parents died – how can the movie convey that? (I offer that it failed miserably in GoF) Suppose a person is incredibly selfless – a book can develop that over time. But a movie might have to make up a single act, like, say, driving through blizzard to deliver snake bite antivenom to a total stranger – to demonstrate the depth of that person’s character (even though that act never occurred in the book). So sometimes movies take liberties with the exact sequence of events from the book to make more of an impact given the limitations of the film forum.

As far as having JKR write the screenplay - fuggedaboudit. Book writers rarely can condense these complex (and to them nearly living) characters onto the screen. Ayn Rand wrote an incredible book, The Fountainhead. But she demanded complete conrol of the script for the movie - this fabulous book was the most BORING movie ever made!

says:

they got it right on book 5
keep it that way
all the way
he deserves it

he can keep underlying tghemes going
i hope he comes

ZEBRA
I hated what he did in OOTP. What naked pictures does he have that they keep asking him back?

that was hilarious

says:

i cannot understand why people don’t like OotP. Please explain. In my opinion, it is the best one so far (PoA coming in a close second). The movie was much more fluid than GoF and more mature than SS and CoS (which were shorter book btw). If your reason is that they cut out too much, then i think you have flawed logic because there is no way to put 800 pgs of material into a 2 hour movie. The important thing to realize is that he got all the key elements down (harry’s isolation, love, fear, and growth) and kept it entertaining. I thought the music was brilliant and the script was well written; i will admit that kloves is not the best writer in the world (i hope he makes me eat my words though). therefore, i think yates should come back, if not for the simple reason that he is actually a FAN of harry potter. so he has his own expectations to live up to, just like peter jackson; and we know how that turned out (countless oscars).

Plus…he made gambon into a pretty good dumbledore

says:

Well, I didn’t like it cause it didn’t capture the escence of Harry Potter. I would much prefer Speilburg to Yates cause he’s got more expierience in this type of thing.

says:

I dunnoo…I haven’t seen enough of his work to really see if he fits the bill for the director of the seventh moviie…I really loved Alfonso cuaron’s image of Harry’s world: not too verbal nor too computerized, but very smooth and feels like a whole. I liked Ootp, but it went a tad bit too fast for me and it didn’t feel like the movie covered a whole year. More like a month. But idk… maybe he will do a better job on HBP and then I’ll start rooting for him too…

says:

all you people saying you won’t go see if he directs DH should really get over it! you know you will. you wont be able to resist and you know it. plus, its’s not his fault scenes are cut, that’s the screenwriter’s job. plus, JKR said OotP was her favorite and i think that really says something. i thought it was the best so far and if he does DH or not, it comes down to the actors and the story. both of which we know are fabulous and will work it out David Yates or no David Yates.

says:

Oh please. People need to stop saying “NOOO! David Yates is not good! Bad, bad, bad! I’m not going to go watch the last movie if Yates directs it! Etc. Other whining stuff” Please! Just be quiet already, seriously. I mean, you can have your own opinion and say whatever you want, don’t get me wrong, but are you really going to stoop SO LOW & say that you’re not going to watch the last Potter film? All because of some director? We’re lucky that the films were even made and ARE going to be made! And if you are a true HP fan, then you will accept what people have to offer about Harry Potter, instead of whining about it! It’s another addition to HP, so we might as well take advantage of it! It’s so annoying how people say they won’t go watch the last movie. Gosh. And how people say “Whoever, whoever was true to the book, not whoever!” Please! Oh please! The books get longer, if you didn’t notice! They have to do some cutting at times! You can’t expect them to have EVERY single page in the movie, that’d be extremely long. ( But no complaints there. ) Overall, I think we all just need to calm down about the director, be thrilled with whoever is going to be given the title, and live with it. Yes, we can complain, but what can we do? Yes, nothing whatsoever.

says:

tory, I so agree with you. And btw, yay for David Yates. He was a good director. =)

says:

Well said tory and Christine, I remember I was just thrilled that they were making the movies in the first place- and HBP seems to be going really well so why the fuss people? YOU all know OOTP is the LONGEST and most complex, GOF being second so life goes on they are all good and all add something to the franchise.

says:

Number one Christine and tory, who are u to critic people on their oppinions( idc if it was spelled wrong). If people aren’t going to go see the movie( which they probably still will) then thats there choice. U must have really low self estem or none at all if u have to critic other people. friggen fairies!

says:

the word above is esteam

says:

HOOORRRAAAYYY…..I( agree with Lindsay and Confedarate Lady..Yates is so far the best director of HP films I just hope they will team him up with Michael Goldenberg. I love their teamwork in OotP (closest to the book movie). Can’t wait for HBP.

says:

Lots of comments and I haven’t read them all to be quite honest…. However, I would like to clear a couple of things up about the process of making a film.

A director’s job is to take the script and work with a team of people to make it a “reality.” He or she is there to get the best performance from his/her actors and crew. They will make comments regarding the script, but by no means have the final say so.

The script writer has his or her scripted revised probably 10 or more times before the final revision is approved by the Executive Producers, Producers, Studio brass, and the Director. The writer will make changes according to time constraints, budgetary concerns and even personal “executive” preferences. Sometimes the final script is nowhere near the scope of the original one. For example, the script from “Pretty Woman” only used 12 pages from the original draft of the script.

It takes many people to make a movie. Let’s not rush to judgment.

BTW – I think Yates directed a fine film and Goldenberg’s script took my least favorite HP book and made it into an enjoyable film :)

says:

The main issue I have with the Harry Potter movies (and other books adapted into film) is two fold ….

1. As a fan, I want the script writer, studio, producer, etc … to follow storyline, i.e. keep the integrity of the book intact.

2. As a film unit/studio they have to sell not only to the rabid fan, but the casual fan and the normal/regular movie goer.

What is the ideal scenario in my mind to deal with this …..

Follow the script/characters in the book, while making the movies that appeal to all audiences for the theatre, and add back the cutting room floor material (for the fans) on the VHS/DVD/Blu-Ray. That way the studio can still keep the attention of the casual movie goer (2hr – 2.5hrs) and appease the fan base with the additional scenes ( .5 hr – 1hr)

I have had less issues with the adaptation of the Harry Potter series than what they did to Robert Ludlum’s Bourne series … while I enjoyed the movies by themselves, they only followed the storyline in the book’s only by using the name Jason Bourne.

I can understand the opinion of both sides of the Yates issue ….. as I am on the fence with this one.

On one hand, the movie itself … the scenes/acting in OOTP that he gave us, I Iiked …

On the other hand, I thought it was far to short (longest book/shortest movie – see chart below) and missed some important details that if he/they took the extra 20 to 30 minutes to develop would greatly inhance the movie.

Meh…I am indifferent to Yates. But I would love it if Cuaron returned. I would really love it.

[Cuaron hates, I don’t care what you think. Go Cuaron!]

says:

they should do what they did for the lord of the rings movies and make an extended version. (dvd i mean)then whoever wants to see more can get that (i.e me) and a normal movie person can watch the normal one.

says:

I’ve always been a fan of the books ever since I picked up CoS when it first came out to see what the fuss was all about and have subsequently read and re-read all the books in the series since. Even though I am a movie buff and prior to OotP had bought the first two HP movies on DVD for my home theater, I didn’t become a geeky HP movie fan until OotP, and I credit David Yates tremendously for this new obsession. Since OotP has come out, I have rebuilt by DVD collection in blu-ray and now constantly check and recheck TLC for any news about the movie. I thought Mr. Yates did a fantastic job with OotP because he finally made a movie that was filled with the same intelligence and sensitivity as JKR’s books. It seemed that finally, the younger characters were communicating so much more beyond just the mere words on the script and for that I am thankful to Mr. Yates. I am glad that he is directing HBP and would be grateful if he stayed on and directed DH. Yes, JKR wrote a wonderful story with a wonderful driving plot, but what we all fell in love with in the first place were the characters and I thought Mr. Yates did a great job showing us the characters we all recognized from the book.

says:

I truly believe that we as HP fans have had a really good run with our movies. They are all really good, each in its own way, and of all those good movies I think OotP is the best. The acting, the lighting, the atmosphere, the music: it all works perfectly for me. The only thing that is a bit choppy is the editing. Some lines are not edited quite right, but really when you get right down to it a few ‘off’ edits are not that important in the greater scheme of things. This is the movie that I still watch the most often, and I don’t get sick of it. There are subtleties in the acting that haven’t been there before and while some of that will be due to increased maturity as actors (ie the Trio) Gambon’s performance is much more how I see Dumbledore and is softened and shows much more caring and concern even in this movie where he is ‘ignoring’ Harry. A lot of that must be down to the director and how he saw the movie, so I for one am really really hoping that this does mean that Yates is our guy. I think he will be able to do the emotions of DH full justice. Harry and Dumbledore, in particular, show a lot of the emotions very clearly in their faces in OotP: this is a visual medium and so they don’t need to show ranting and breaking things to bring home feelings. The subtle emotions on the faces are incredibly powerful and I am certain that the emotions Harry, among others, shows in DH will come across really well if Yates directs.

says:

I really agree Nurlomum. Sometimes during the other movies I found myself sneakily glancing at my watch but I didnt at all during OotP. For me the trios acting was so much improved and I really do think that this is due mainly through Yates involvement. I absolutely loved the scene with the prophesies. The music, the death eaters masks… perfect! And Dumbledore was so much more like he was in the book. I can not understand why HP fans would have a big problem with the movie. A lot was edited out but really that was inevitable and if JKR didnt have a problem with it why would anyone else? I am pleased that Yates will possibly direct DH and I think HBP (my favourite book) will be fantastic!

says:

Well, it’s a good thing that this discussion is happening online. If some people would meet eachother (or David Yates) in real life they would probably attack the other one with an axe.

says:

Thank God – then I hope him and Mike Newell go back and remake the first 3.

says:

A lot of people seem to forget that not that much really happens in the 5th book. Even Rowling herself thought the book was too long. I think Yates slimmed it down nicely. I am a bit worried about certain plotpoint though (regulus and the locket), but I’m confident he’ll work it out.
From what I’ve heard, HBP is gonna be very different from OOTP, because unlike someone like Chris Columbus, he doesn’t use the same vision for two different movies.

says:

I know it’s terrible, but I just got to tell everyone again why Columbus isn’t a good director. He had no visual style whatsoever and he didn’t have a style in storytelling either. He just took the most important pages of the book and smacked them on the screen without any further thought about how it would look or if it would be a coherent story. The movies are still charming, because it is Harry Potter, he had great source material, but the other movies were much better. Ofcoarse they were less faithfull, because the books are 4 times longer.
That’s why I think all people who want Columbus back are purists, or kids and don’t know the first thing about movies. People who’s favourite film is ‘baby’s day out’, or ‘the parent trap’.

says:

Yates sucks! It seems no-one wants him back haha.
He left out half the book in OOTP I’m so annoyed he’s doing HBP. That movie better be longer then OOTP or i’ll screem! POA is still the best! YAY FOR ALFONSO!

says:

Oh Kerrie. (shakes head dissapointed)

says:

you people really should learn about filmmaking before you even post.

You confuse the job of screenwriter and director.

If a scene get cut, It’s the director’s fault not the screenwriter.

Chris columbus made a fine films. It was for family. That’s his strength.

Alfonso cuaron gives it a style (shut up about Ron already)

Mike Newell make a dark one.

David Yates? He was alright, the acting was alright although the scene of harry riding a broom next to a cruise ship still bothers me (what happen if the people sees them on the broom, I thought it was supposed to be hush hush)

the editing is the problem. Especially in the end when Sirius Black died, I didnt fell anything. I don’t even feel sad. Plus the silent didn’t help.

Hire a new composer and editor. I mean get the editor from bourne ultimatum and DH will be awesome. Imagine the last battle with quick cuts. awesome.

I mean now they got a new cinematographer, a good one, so they’re alright.

says:

The cinematographer from OOTP was also very good though, but I’m curious about the new guy, because he also did ‘Le fabuleux destin d’Amelie Poulain’.
I do not agree with you about Columbus Hagiz. Yes, he made a fine film, but not a good one. A family film can still be a good film, but his movies didn’t have any vision or style an emotionally they (mostly) fell flat.
Most American family films are pretty bad anyway in my opinion. They are always very soft and sappy and idealistic. It really doesn’t have to be that way, for it to be family-friendly.
I do think columbus’ movies were a good start of the series, because there was so much to inprove on.

says:

Columbus was fine for the first two movie because that was the nature of the first two books- very lighthearted if you will, but it got dark starting with the third movie and has been getting darker and better with every installment. I personally think that all the directors brought something to the series and that is why they are successful. OOTP was the best by far and Im sure when HBP is released we will say that it is the best and then when DH comes out we will say it is the best.

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Lilibeth and Norlomum I applaud both your comments and agree with much of what you say (tho my personal favourite film is still POA). OotP is up there a close second and I am pleased that Yates might stay for the main reason that Norlomum said about the acting (the one flaw I found in POA). For me, acting is central to the films; spirit of the books I have thought has always been maintained throughout so I trust the filmmakers in that respect. Sript unfortunately is still my biggest complaint.

says:

Those criticising OotP for not making sense to non book readers.. are you saying this having read the books yourselves or not having read them? If you HAVE read them you are in no position to judge on that issue.

My sister has only seen the films and read up to book 3 but she understood OotP perfectly without me having to explain anything.

It is surprising what detail people can pick up in a film. Readers focus too much on what is omitted to see the whole.

says:

You can read my comment on page 2 : )

....+I didn’t like what Yates did with dementors. They are supose to be scary and while I was watching the scene I was like-NEXT!

And in POA Alfonso made them really scary. And I like the music in POA much more then OOTP music. Double,double,toil and trouble…nananana
And I like what he did with Lupin,Sirius and Hermione. All you guys talking about POAs “super” Hermione…she’s supose to be SUPER!!! In the films she’s much more softer than in the books. Hermione runs the show!

says:

yeah, you’re right Matea, if you read DH, you must realise that Hermione is pretty super. Some people put Harry on such a high pedestall, that their is no room for other characters to be great, because only Harry Potter has the right to be smart en superrrrrr!!

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i like it so

says:

Kerrie what are you, like 5? If you think that nobody likes Yates then you have obviously not read everybodys posts. Or perhaps you just see what you want to see? Either way your judgment is seriously questionable. ‘Yates sucks!’ What is that? I highly doubt you could do better and gotta tell ya the film wouldnt have taken that much money if it had ‘sucked’. Stop being so negative and grow up.

says:

in my opinion OOtP of david yates is the worst of the series so for. partly i blame it on the background score too. i would love to see alfonso directing again or steven spielberg directing in two parts.

says:

i love to see harrypotter

says:

Please not Yates for HP#7 he ruined Order of the Phoenix, it was by far the worst of the Harry Potter movies. Why not let Columbus do Deathly Hallows & allow him to do it correctly.

says:

The test for Yates is really in HBP, if we see early clips and it appears to be good I’m all for him returining I have faith he’d be able to pull it off. I’d like to see the same style played across the last two

says:

Please No! This man is a poor director too focused on the characters then trying to keep a plot together. And even then the characters are acting like pieces of wood! They need a director who will see the movies more than just a job. Like Cuaron for instance who set the dark mood for the next films and understood how Dumbledore should be!

says:

If hiring David Yates to finish off the Harry Potter Films would create some story consistency, then I would be for it.

I still would prefer to have a new Director.

My hope it that David Yates filmed enough extra material to make a decent long-version of Order of the Phoenix and The Half Blood Prince Films for the DVD or Blu-Ray releases in the future.

This concerns me for the last film because it will require many different Unit Film Directors, and the main Director has to take all of this shot footage and make it into hopefully the best Harry Potter Film – since they are discussing 2 Films to make it work.

I am hopeful that a new Director will be hired, just to add a new perspective.

If it’s too much of a risk, then having David Yates make continuity between 3 films might be a desired result to end the Film Series.

I just have not seen any Director handle making a 3 Film Set where you did not get very bored with either their style, or editing choices. By third round they kind of loose it, and they don’t give the best Film Perspective possible.

Last thing I want to see is a mundane and mediocre Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

says:

Yates for DH would be just fine with me. Hope it’s true! As long as it’s anybody but Cuaron, I’m happy.

Redbeard: I totally respect your opinion about Columbus’ directing skills, but of course it is only your opinion (as you well know). I thoroughly enjoyed the first two movies and didn’t find them lacking in vision at all. I loved the season-changing scene where Harry releases Hedwig in the snow…the chessboard…the look of the Hogwarts Great Hall…and the Dursleys were done the best in the first two movies I think (though Aunt Marge was pretty funny in PoA). And, of course, the kids were only around 11 y.o. in those movies, so of course it’s going to be a kid’s movie. I think that’s what really gets at most people who don’t care for the first two, is simply the age of the kids, which isn’t Columbus’ fault; just because the kids grew up and the plot got a little darker doesn’t mean Cuaron made the series more mature (though I must say I much prefer his dementors to Yates’). And Columbus’ being true to the book is what endeared him to me. There are plenty of people prefer a director who steers away from J.K. Rowling’s dialogue and characterization and plot, but I just don’t. And it doesn’t mean I’m a young child, because I’mi n my 30’s and don’t particularly care for “Home Alone” or other kids’ movies you mention. I think the HP movies are just at their weakest when they deviate from the book, though of course some people find that boring because they’ve already read the book and aren’t in the theater to see something very faithful. That’s not to say I don’t approve of any deviation AT ALL, because I loved OotP, and GoF was very enjoyable. I just found the feel of PoA much too gothic, and I thought a lot of the “Cuaronisms” were pretty childish (of course the much maligned Jamaican shrunken head, and the Willow killing birds over and over, the toad choir, etc.) I guess it’s just that we all like what we like-there is no right or wrong-and people shouldn’t get so upset at other people for liking a different Harry Potter movie than they do. While we’re all going to have differing opinions on whether it’s good for the director to “make it his own” or stick to the book, I just hope they don’t get a controversial director like Cuaron (and Ok, Columbus too) and get someone who will please us all. Yates seems to fill the bill as well as anyone else, I think.

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I do not understand how they could chose someone like Mr. Yates to direct the final movie. He has stated on more than one occasion that no movie should be longer that 2 hours and 15 minutes. He is willing to sacrifice characters and plot to fulfill his promise to the studios. What does he care about the fans!!! I would be more than happy to have either Chris Columbus or Alfonso Curan back to do the final movie. Look at how long Titanic was and it set box office records world wide. DH is a movie that should be 3 1/2 to 4 hours to contain all the plots that bring the entire series to a just conclusion.

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@ GinaC- It’s so weird but I disagree with you by 180 degrees. I LOVE the books but was way happier with POA than I was with the first two, I think because while Columbus was true to the plot I saw POA as more true to the characters. That said, I also see the majority of the book POA as very character driven, so I don’t think Cuaron would be the best choice for the very plot-driven DH (though it has its moments.) Even though I was mad about the whole maurader thing and I thought the werewolf was awful, I still thought the movie was more true to the FEEL of the book than either of the first two had been. I do agree, seeing that toad choir was quite painful!

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well the problem generally with harry potter really is about the editor.

OOTP wasnt good, most complain is about the editing. how it felt choppy and dont give emotion at all. I know Yates as a director has the final say, but most director trust the editor’s vision, maybe tweak a lil bit here and there.

The acting was fine, Though daniel still cant act angry.

As I said change the editor and the composer, they sux. I used to remember when harry potter got oscar nomination for best music.

Now they got nada.

Get the guy who score for Atonement

and get the editor from bourne ultimatum. That would be the best

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Okay GinaC, I feel that I have to apologize, I was probably a bit cranky or something. I actually like the first two movies and I think Columbus gave the series a good stabil foundation. Having said that, I don’t think they had to be kids-movies. Allthough the first books seem to be written for a little younger audience, the core is still really serious and dark and I think Columbus (and Gloves) ignored that aspect. The murder of Harry’s parrents (we never feel harry’s pain, or the pain that Jo Rowlings must have felt, since her mothers death was an inspiration for orphan Harry) Ofcoarse they tried with the mirror of erised, but that never really worked. And what about the abuse of Harry by the Dursley’s. That’s a pretty sick thing and Columbus made it comedy. There should have been at least a serious core to it, so we get an idea of the horrible childhood he had. Someone who didn’t read the books will hardly be convinced by the two minutes Columbus spend on the dursleys in the first film. It’s a pitty if you ask me.
On the other hand I liked the lightness of the first films and the way they grew darker later on.

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Oh, no problem Redbeard. I’ve seen enough of your posts to know you’re not usually cranky! :) and certainly most of my post wasn’t singling you out; I was mostly thinking of the various complaints I’ve seen reading this thread and others. I guess no director will ever be perfect. I will admit there are parts of the first two movies that drag a bit, but I’m just one who doesn’t mind pressing the “skip” on the DVD when all the other scenes I wanted are there. And point taken about the Dursleys and how the seriousness of the abuse didn’t really come through, but I thought they were also a bit comical in the book as well. And neither Cuaron nor Yates presented the seriousness either, I think. I was highly disappointed in the Dursleys in OotP, actually! And I don’t mean to say I hated ALL of Cuaron’s work; there were quite a few wonderful moments of PoA. I loved the interaction between Harry and Lupin and between Harry and Sirius. Sirius’s rescue was great! Loved the image of him flying away on buckbeak with the moon, and music was lovely.

And Rachel—yep! Funny how some of us come away feeling PoA captures the atmosphere from the book, while others say it’s very different. And I think you’re right for the most part about the characterization. I didn’t particularly care for the change in Hermione (she seemed so grumpy!) or Dumbledore (though I think it was more his look I didn’t care for in PoA, but I hated his total portrayal in GoF). However, I LOVED Sirius and Lupin and Trelawney, and Harry and Ron and all the returning adults were just fine. (But WHAT was the change in Flitwick about??? Though maybe it wasn’t necessarily supposed to be Flitwick, but subsequent directors made him the new Flitwick.)

That was one thing I loved about Yates’s work, was how he was able to get such fine acting jobs out of the whole cast. While Dumbledore still desperately needs a costume change, I thought Michael Gambon did a fine job as Dumbledore in OotP! His “Albus Percival Wulfric BRIAN Dumbledore” was GREAT, and his “It was foolish of you to come here tonight, Tom” was just awesome. I thought OotP was quite emotional and intense, which is what will certainly be needed for DH.

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Morgan, who are YOU to criticize tory and I? What a hypocrite! Saying we have low self esteem? Please. I know that I don’t, so don’t you dare make that accusation to me! I’m just telling the truth on what I think, aka an OPINION, and the last time I checked, you said that WE were the critics of the ppl with opinions, and IF you didn’t notice, I wrote “I mean, you can have your own opinion and say whatever you want, donâ€™t get me wrong, but are you really going to stoop SO LOW & say that youâ€™re not going to watch the last Potter film?” in the comment on page six. EXACTLY. I said that people can have their own opinions. Maybe you were too busy calling tory & I “friggen fairies” to notice that. So don’t you dare say that I have low self esteem or none at all. And also, I know it’s their choice to go watch the movie or not, it’s not like I control them! I’m just saying that we should all just appreciate that they’re going to be filming DH – Instead of just sitting here being pee ohed about the director! Enough said.

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’’if a scene is cut it is the director’s fault not the screenwriter’‘

lol!
[[sounds to me like you need to find out for sure what you are talking about before you condeem others. lol!]
not if the screnewriter left the scene out to begin with and twisted the scene
from a different viewpoint , advantagestuck charaters in that were not ther to begin with and gave lines to those who did not say them originally in the book.

if it ain’t on the page it usually ain’t on the screne ,unless the director changes whole sections of what was written

David Yates made-so for- the most realistic fantasy /drama out of any of the books .He actually MADE i look like a film and NOT a play set to film.
Which is why he deserves kudos for his work on ootp and why it is So great he is returning for hbp.
Bravo David! and thank you!

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noooooooo OOTP was horribly portrayed. by far the worst movie…. do not let him ruin DH!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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II saw OOTP before reading ANY of the books, and I promise it didn’t make sense. (The first book I read was 7, when I was looking for something to read on a long plane ride and decided to check out the hype – after that I became a fan and went back and read all the books). Only after reading the book and then watching the video again did I get what Harry was feeling.

I think it is more important that a movie get across the character development, even if that means tweaking the actual events to get the point across in the shorter time alotted. But please, those of you who like OOTP – explain to me how we feel Harry’s pain. He isolates himself in the beginning until Luna makes him see the light, but after that we don’t see his isolation (except in the kitchen in Grimmauld place at Christmas). We dont’ see him hiding from his friends at Grimmauld place, or crying alone by the lake. We also don’t see his redemption by his friends when they finally have an intervention in the book at the end of the Christmas holiday (Ginny’s “lucky you” wasn’t just a great line that was cut, it sets up why he becomes interested in her over the next year, important in understanding that story line). Its not that those specific events are missing – its that the way they conveyed his pain (and the redemption by his friends) weren’t replaced by new movie-appropriate scenes that get the point across.

How do we see Harry’s anger in OOTP? He tells Siruis he’s angry? BFD. We don’t see his temper tantrum in Dumbledore’s office. We do see his desire for revenge against Bellatrix, but the depth of his anger at the unjustness of his life is never really explored or developed in the movie. He just moons around a little at the end while he’s packing. Harry the saint – he feels sorry for Voldemort, he lets off one little line of sass to Dumbledore. Where’s the f..ing anger? He deserves to be PISSED AS HELL.

How do we see Hermione’s vulnerability? Beats me, I didn’t see it. Ron’s loyalty is shown by his immediate agreement to go to the ministry, but he comes across more like a faithful dog than a person in his own right – his potential is never tapped in this movie. The way in which the love of these two friends redeems Harry is never developed – lets hope they get to it in HBP.

If you didn’t read the book, the movie just didn’t get it done emotionally. And the vast majority of the bucks from these movies comes from people who didn’t read the books.

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POA has an atmosphere which is, for the most part, wonderful. It FEELS like a movie rather than a book with moving pictures, but it also leaves out some rather important information and in some cases completely ruins the mood of some scenes. I thought the Shrieking Shack scene was too rushed, taking away the slow moments of realization that were so wonderful in the book. Some of the characterization and many of the lines were horrible as well. At least Cuaron attempted to add emotion into the story, but I don’t think any of the three actors (especially Dan) were ready for the intesity. The cinematography was the greatest strength of POA; I absolutely loved the portrayal of Hogsmeade.

OOTP actually had characters that felt like the characters of the books. Ron was the greatest change. For some people, however, the change feels off because they are so used to the films’ characters rather than the books’ characters being on the screen.

I think all the movies need a giant boost of emotion. David Yates talked forever about how OOTP was going to be “emotional”, yet the movie’s emotion felt flat and was sometimes corny (“I feel sorry for you”, Cedric’s picture on the board of the Room of Requirement.)

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I would like to apologige to Christine and tory for the things that I said. I am the kind of person that thinks before i act. I would just like to say that it was wrong for me to say those things and i am truly sorry. that fairy thing was a joke. sorry

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I am such a horrible speller! its apologize

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i make mistakes alot. I just turned 13. People really shouldn’t take me seriously

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I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again… Please NOOOO!

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Damn it. I wanted someone new. Not necessarily Cuaron, but just someone different. I think we can’t rightly judge Yates until HBP is out, because we’ll have to see if Kloves mucked it up. Yates is generally praised for a job well done on OotP, because the film wrapped itself up nicely, which had a lot to do with OotP’s good screenwriter. HBP will definitely seem different considering the change, and then Yates can be judged on his own merits.

says:

I just learned something in college today that I have known for a while that if you judge automatically and just dismiss someone you will go nowhere in life and will be way more likely to have a hard time and suffer in the real world because you will expect everything to go your way. Besides no one likes narrow-minded people who are conceited. And it does come back to haunt you your words of criticisim – look at what some of you said about Helen as Narcissa and to find that she was on the internet looking possibly, at the nasty things you said about her without even giving her a chance, no one in the world deserves to just be dismissed, Yates had a go with OOTP and I think his take on HBP will be even better. They have all brought something.

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I’ve been a fan of Harry Potter since the first movie came out and I started reading the books just before Order of the Pheonix came out so naturally for me, I was automatically jaded against the movie.

One thing I can point out that really bugged me about Yates was changing the way talking through the fire looked (before, it was like the ash came alive…maybe this way was more true to what Rowling intended but I dont really care…the first way looked cooler) and the look of the Dementors. These two things I think were under his control and for some reason, changing them REALLY annoyed me. I doubt I’ll be satisfied with ANY of the remaining movies regardless of who directs them now that I’ve read the books…I should have waited to read the books until after I had seen all of the movies :-)

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noooo!!! yates is the worst film director ever!!!! ootp is the best book out of the first 5, but the worst film. there was nothing good in the film(and only the film, not the book)!

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noooooooo!! Esa, shut up!!! There is nothing good about you’re opinion! (I’ve had it now)

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Well i think we can all agree that the idiot responsible for cutting half the detail from the book and deciding the movie would only be 2 hours 20 minutes needs to be fired ASAP. Why would the longest book be a shorter movie then GOF? Does that make any sense?!! I was really looking forward to seeing St. Mungos, Ron playing Quidditch, where the hell were those scenes? And they totaly butchered the Harry/Cho relationship, the Harry/Sirius relationship and the Ron/Hermione relationship. Also, where was all the detail from the ministry of magic?!! Ginny breaking her leg, Hermione being knocked unconscious and Harry thinking she’s dead, Ron being attacked by those icky brains. None of it was there! Who ever is responsible for those things needs their ass(es) handed to them on a plate coz they suck suck suck! If they ruin Deathly Hallows, i will walk out of the cinema and never watch a warner brother film again lol

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i enjoy the books as books-—-which can encompass so much more thought and let feelings be made verbily known- than a film
but i also enjoy the HP films—just AS films in their own right_____they are different/separate mediums

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Kerrie I really hope you never watch a warner brother film again as your opinions ‘suck’. Yes a lot was cut out of the film, and I wasnt particually happy with that myself, but undoubtedly they wouldnt have done that unless there was a pretty good reason too. And if JKR didnt have a problem with it (she has stated that OofP was her favourite) then why do you? And okay even if you do, why do you have to express your opinions quite like that? You sound like a complete idiot. Please go away ‘ASAP’. Oh and by the way since we are talking about the film we are aware of what, and what not, is in it.

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You cannot put everything in a book into a film…...no matter how GREAT! the book
is ,most of the movie going public would be bored out of their gord.And filmmakers make films for all the filmgoing public ,not just those who read any particular book.
JKR understands/GETS this and her readers should as well.

My sister[as well as other people i know and have met] has not read any of the HP books but loves the films,for what they are ,films.

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KATZ, grow up will you, You can’t tell someone to ‘go away’ just because they don’t share your opinion. And no my opinons don’t suck, they are just different then yours. I happen to know loads of HP fans that agree with me, online and in real life too so get over yourself. And i don’t give a crap if JK Rowling likes OOTP, that doesn’t mean I have to. If JK Rowling doesn’t mind half her book missing from the movie, thats her opinion, not mine. Also, even if i didn’t care about the missing stuff that still doesn’t explain why OOTP was shorter then GOF when OOTP was a much longer book. Again, get over yourself. This is the internet and i have every right to express my opinion. If you don’t like it, ignore it.

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Katz, grow up will you. You can’t tell somone to go away just because you don’t like what you hear. My opinions don’t suck, they are just different then yours. Even if I didn’t care about the missing stuff from the movie that still doesn’t explain why OOTP was a shorter movie then GOF when OOTP is a longer book. Doesn’t make logical sense ok? Also i don’t care if JK Rowling loves OOTP, if she doesn’t mind half her book missing from the movie thats her opinion, not mine. Again you need to get over yourself. Not everyone likes OOTP, I know loads and loads of HP fans on the internet and in real life that were hugely dissapointed by it so don’t assume that everyone agrees has to agree with your movie taste. Everyone is different..

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Kerrie, hate to break it to ya , but your the one that needs to grow up here – you and all the rest who expect every detail to be in the movies- its called ignorance dear. Get mad at me all you want I dont give a hoot. But if you go to the OOTP wikipedia page they explain some things that are actually no-brainers like they couldnt include st.Mugos because it would have cost more money to build a whole new set for that one little scene and then it goes on to explain other changes some of you have such a problem with. I have been a fan of the books since they first came out and when the movies came I was overwhelmed and just excepted them for what they were because they are out of this world without including everything that our imaginations can.

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Thankyou BellaSnape, and kerrie its not your opinion that annoys me (everybody is entitled to that) but the way you express yourself. Telling me to grow up..ha ha sorry but that is funny. Just read over your posts will you and see how immature and sad you come across. Oh and as for your repeated reference to GoP…I know many non HP readers who felt that that movie was just far too long maybe in OotP Warner Brothers learnt from that mistake. Oh and agin thanks BellaSnape for drawing our attention to certain issues that have to be taken into account when deciding what to include and what not when they produced OotP (finances ect..). Kerrie listen and learn…

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All I can say is that there are things I’ve loved and hated about all of the movies (yes even OotP which is my favourite) but I am able to spearate them as an entity from the books. They will never be able to replicate the books exactly and even if they did it would make for a boring movie. I prefer the movies to have the right feel and sum up the book for us. They have all done this. Yes, there are things that haven’t been included in most of them, but they all give the sense of Harry’s world and what is going on. Since this is about the direction I’ll say again that I think Yates caught the tone and nuances of the characters and the plot perfectly which is why I would be really excited to see him back again for DH. The acting in OotP is miles ahead of the previous movies even amongst some of the adult actors and if that is what Yates is giving us more of then I am all for it!!

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We are all free to disagree here, but if we do so respectfully then we can all learn from each other.

A movie has a big job – to convey to us what people are thinking and how they are growing and not only what events are happening but why, in only 2 (or so) hours, when the book had 800 pages to do the same thing. Sometimes you can achieve your objective without the time and expense of a whole scene. So the question isn’t so much why did they leave out a specific scene, but rather how else did they get across whatever the reader learned about the storyline or character’s development from that scene?

For example, they didn’t need the expense and time of the St. Mungoes scene to get across the effect of his parent’s heroism on Neville’s personal journey of growth from a witless wonder to one of the bravest characters in the series. But they did get at least some of the point acress with Neville’s behavior at the ministry and the exchange with Harry in the Room of Requirement. However, I don’t believe the movies ever actually say that his parents were tortured to insanity and are still living, and I think that’s a major omission for people who only watch the movies – it would have given the spider torturing scene so much more impact in GoF (I saw that movie before reading the book as well), and it will explain a lot about Neville’s growth and behavior.

What about all the events that took place in Grimmald place over Christmas – was the story ruined because that was cut? They showed Harry’s isolation at Christmas at Grimmauld place fairly well (him standing alone while the family celebrated), but the brief lip service they gave to reaching out to him (the toast) failed miserably to capture the true experience of the redemption of Harry by his friends during that holiday. It is made up for slightly by their desire to accompany him to the ministry at the end, but the real pathos of personal redemption just doesn’t get justice done to it. Perhaps I’d feel better about it if Molly had walked over to Harry and pulled him into the family circle in that scene and maybe planted a motherly kiss on his cheek or something. Ginny’s repudiation of Harry’s selfishness in brooding on his own feelings sets up an important part of the HBP as to why he begins to look at her as more than his best mate’s kid sister. Hopefully they will make up for it in HBP but I wish Yates had somehow found time to start setting up this part of the character development.

I went back and rewatched OOTP with the comments from this blog in mind so see if it changed my opinions. Maybe a little in details, but not so much in essentials. The movie started out showing us Harry's isolation quite effectively (the letter to Sirius, Seamus' rejection, Harry pushing Ron away emotionally) after the Seamus outburst, but after the 'revelation" from Luna that isolating himself is giving Voldemort a victory, the emotional baggage suddenly just vanishes. Harry's parents were murdered, his only living relatives abuse him, his godfather whom he barely knows is first unavailable and then dead, he can't sleep without his mind being tortured, Voldemort's still trying to kill him regularly, and in the midst of a 15 year old trying to process this, no one else believes its happening, he becomes an object of ridicule, and the only real support person in his life has cut him off without explanation. Dontcha think we should have seen some real ANGER there? A little brooding and one line of sass to Dumbledore is all we get.......... where's the rest of it? In DH movie viewers are going to have to make the journey from Harry defending his life so vigorously, to suddenly sacrificing it. If the jump is going to be believable the movie is going to have to help us see how he gets from point A to point B emotionally. If OOTP is any indication, movie viewers who haven't read the book will be left scratching their heads and asking "where'd that come from?". Its Yates job to make sure the screenwriters and actors give him the material to get the job done.

Yes, it would have been nice to see the St. Mungoe’s scene – Neville’s journey of personal growth is fascinating (as is Ron’s).

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Actually Katz, you were the one being really really immature. You called me an idiot. There is no need for name calling just because someone has different opinions then yours. Again, not everyone likes OOTP and Yates. Try to accept that and move on, and don’t call people names. its just rude and immature. I would never call someone and idiot just because they didn’t like something I did.

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O.K. boys and girls! enough of arguing. besides it’s not our job to choose the director. it’s O.K. that we’re sharing our opinions,but we can’t spent 200 comments on arguing and insulting directors or ourselves. I think DH will be awesome film and we’re all going to see it as soon it comes out because we(here on leaky) are the bigest HP fans and we should stick together!!!

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Also, i fail to see how i was being immature. I explained quite calmly why i hate OOTP and then you told me to go away and then called me an idiot…..you are clearly in the wrong. Ok i admit i used the word suck haha but honestly, how is that immature.

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Students will raise their hand before talking in this class

They will listen respectfully to other’s opinions, and post respectful opinions when they disagree, preferably citing examples of why they disagree.

Those who fail to comply will be forced to write “I will be respectful” in their own blood until it is etched deeply enough into the back of their hands.

Okay Kerrie lets just just drop it. I’ve had enough now. Okay I apoligise for calling you an idiot. But in my opinion, and your right we are all entitled to one, you came across as one. Whether or not you actually are one is not for me to say. ‘Whoevr is responsible for these need there asses handed to them on a plate coz they ‘SUCK, SUCK, SUCK!’ I was wrong kerrie, you were right, you are obviously very mature. Anyhow, All I shall say is that I for one am satisfied for Yates to be the director for DH and I am so looking forward to HBP. I believe, and I may be proven wrong, that both movies will be awsome.

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no need for sarcasm Katz, thats the lowest form of whit. (again I notice your being immature and rude) And yes you are entitled to your opinion but if you want to know the truth I said those things in the heat of the moment, I was quite pissed of at the time. I don’t know where you got this idea that i’m an idiot just because i was a bit angry. Anger and idiocy are two very different things. If you will notice that i was actually quite diplomatic about what i said, I never blamed any particular person for the mistakes in OOTP because it could have been anyone. I thought that was quite generous of me actually. You may not see them as mistakes but i certainley did and I’m sure lots of other HP fans did too. Everyone has different tastes, accept it. I was not being stupid by pointing out flaws in OOTP, even though i may have spoken too harsley and a bit angry. I would never call you an idiot for pointing out flaws in something that I liked, because that is a rude immature thing to do. You still said in your last post that you think that i came across as an idiot in your opinion, why would you say that? Thats still a horrilbe thing to say! I hope you learn to grow up some day and not freak out because someone pointed out flaws in a movie that you like. Sadly i don’t see that happening any time soon. I have also had enough of this. Goodbye.

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The main win here from Warner Bros standpoint is that they know exactly what they have in David Yates. A more than competent director who is tried on one film and two months from wrapping a second. And they have that consistency.

And perhaps most importantly for them, it controls their cost. If they did not continue with Yates, they couldn’t very well go out and hire yet another off the beaten path director for the biggest and last film of the franchise. Yates is in, he’s accepted. And there’s a ceiling to how much he’s going to ask being as he’s only wrapping on his second ever major film release.

Imagine if for instance they considered the likes of Peter Jackson or Guillermo Toro or someone else equally well known. They’d be writing themselves a blank cheque before they even stepped into the Warner offices for a couple of near guaranteed hits in the two-part 7th chapter.

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Ah, but who approves of the scripts? Who sends them back for rewrites? Who sends them back for dialogue changes? The director is in charge of all of that, and also in charge of the person/persons who gets/get chosen to write the screenplay and the scripts. The director directs what he wants done, and the rest have to follow his direction. That is the whole point of being the director.

says:

Depressing news indeed about Yates directing yet another Harry Potter film. I loved the first four films and was looking forward to OOTP before it came out and was surprised that I HATED it. It was bad news he was directing HBP, but now I’m completely gutted.

I watched the first four movies multiple times in the theater and bought the DVDs for each one. I only saw OOTP once, and skipped the DVD. Yates is bad for my repeat business.

If HBP and DH are anything like OOTP I will have to change my plans of buying this whole set on Blu-Ray when the series in complete. Maybe stander def DVDs of the first four movies are all I need…

It was not the script writing I didn’t like in OOTP, it was the directing.

Just in case it is not clear, I HATED OOTP.

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Haha yea i kind of agree Scott, i didn’t hate it as much as you but i was dissapointed with all the missing stuff, no character development, bad dialogue, inacurate information, inaccurate characters etc…
but as a movie (not comparing it to the books at all, it wasn’t terrible)